The rest of the storage rack was unburdened by survival supplies. There was no stored water, no battery-powered or hand-crank radio, no NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, no flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries, whistle, dust mask, plastic sheeting, duct tape, moist towelettes, garbage bags, wrench or pliers, local maps, extra cell phone with charger and backup battery, extra prescription medications, sleeping bag, or matches in a waterproof container. There was no anything else from the list at all.
Aubrey stood staring at the empty storage rack in despair.
“That’s pathetic.”
The voice had come from behind her. She turned and saw Scott at the base of the stairs. She turned back, in no mood to be harassed. “I’m aware of that.”
“You didn’t stock up on anything?”
“No. Did you?”
“I’m fifteen. It’s not my job.” She didn’t answer. Scott sensed a soft spot, so he pressed on it. “Did you really need to come down here and look at the rack in order to figure out there was nothing on it?”
“No, Scott, I was well aware there’s nothing on the rack. I came down to get this.” She tore the laminated list off the upright and headed for the stairs, brushing past him. He stayed where he was, staring at the empty shelves.
“I hate those fucking beans.”
“So do I. Are you coming?”
“Where?”
“To the store.”
He turned and looked at her. She was now at the top of the stairs, and he at the bottom. He furrowed his brow. “The thing hits in, what, four hours or something? Do you have any idea how many people are going to be at the store? Do you honestly think there will even be anything left at the store?”
She took a breath, trying to quell the anger that was rising in her, competing with panic as her dominant emotion. “It’s not going to get any better if we wait. Meet me at the car.”
She went upstairs, got her purse, and pulled out her wallet. A hundred and eleven dollars was, frankly, more than she usually carried, and she was pleased she at least had that much. They’d stop at the bank on the way, take the daily limit off her debit card, and put everything they could get at the Piggly Wiggly on her Visa while the machines were still working. Even if they bought every single thing on the list, in double quantities, it wouldn’t last them more than a couple weeks, but there was no point thinking that far ahead.
She scooped up her keys and headed for the front door, pulling her bag over her shoulder. Scott came up out of the basement and drifted toward the TV, which was tuned to increasingly frantic cable news. Scott’s eyes were big, his spiking anxiety belying the adolescent cool he was attempting to project.
Aubrey turned back, picked up the remote, and shut the TV off in the middle of the anchor’s breathless speculation about the duration of the impending worldwide power outage. Scott turned on her. “You don’t think we need to know that stuff?”
She took a step forward and looked up at him. He’d passed her in height about a year ago and she wasn’t used to it yet. At least it was good for her posture. She stood, ramrod straight, and looked into his icy blue eyes, the same color as his father’s.
“No. We don’t. What we need is to get to the store, now.”
He looked at her, his cheek twitching. The kid was practically biting a hole through his face, either in anger or fear. Probably both.
Aubrey softened her tone. “You know, I read once that if you’re sad, you’re living in the past. If you’re anxious, you’re living in the future. But if you’re at peace, you’re living in the present.”
“And if you’re completely fucked, you’re living with Aubrey.”
The urge to slap him was overwhelming. She even pictured herself doing it, in the surge of adrenaline that ran through her body. She saw her arm recoiling, right hand back over her left biceps, and then slicing outwards in an arc, her backhand catching him fully on the right side of his face. She saw his head snap to the side and the angry red patch grow on his cheek. She saw him turn back to her, shock in his eyes, his fingertips going to his inflamed skin, and she saw the expression on his face that said, “Wow, I have completely misjudged this lady and I better pull my shit together right this fucking second.” Somehow, seeing that scene play out in her mind was enough, and she didn’t need to live it.
Instead, she spoke in a level voice. “I’m sorry your parents dumped you, Scott. I’m what you’ve got. Get in the car.”